Colonel Sir Hugh Trefusis Brassey (5 October 1915 – 10 April 1990) was a British soldier and magistrate.

Background

Born on 5 October 1915, Brassey was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Edgar Hugh Brassey, grandson of Henry Arthur Brassey, and his wife Margaret Harriet Trefusis, daughter of Hon. Walter Rodolph Trefusis. Brassey was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

Career

He joined in the Royal Scots Greys as second lieutenant in 1935 During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he was involved in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign in 1941 and the Battle of El Alamein in the following year. He took part in the

Salerno Landings Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, b ...

of 1943 and also in the

Normandy Landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

of 1944. In 1944, Brassey was decorated with the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

and the French Croix de Guerre. After the war, he was transferred as lieutenant-colonel to the

Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (RWY) was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when t ...

in 1955. In the New Year Honours 1959 Brassey was awarded an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. He was appointed aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II in 1964, a post he held for five years. In 1974, Brassey was appointed colonel of the

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British ...

. He entered the

Yeomen of the Guard The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a bodyguard of the British monarch. The oldest British military corps still in existence, it was created by King Henry VII in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth Field. History The king ...

as exon in 1964 and became its ensign in 1970. Brassey was promoted to adjutant and clerk of the cheque the year thereafter and finally to lieutenant in 1979. Following his retirement in 1985, he was made as a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

. He was

High Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Go ...

in 1959 and represented the county also as Justice of the Peace. Having been already Deputy Lieutenant from 1956 and Vice Lord Lieutenant from 1968, Brassey was nominated

Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

in 1981, an office he held until 1989. He was invested a Knight of the

Venerable Order of Saint John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

in 1982.

Family

On 18 July 1939, he married Joyce Patricia Kingscote (1917–2006), daughter of Captain Maurice John Kingscote, and had by her three daughters and two sons. He died on 10 April 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brassey, Hugh Trefusis 1915 births 1990 deaths Hugh Trefusis Brassey British Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights of the Order of St John Lord-Lieutenants of Wiltshire Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Eton College Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Scots Greys officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry officers